1. Field of the Invention
The embodiments relate to semiconductor structures and, more particularly, to a semiconductor structure having a contact-level air gap within the interlayer dielectrics above a semiconductor device for minimizing parasitic capacitances and a method of forming such a semiconductor structure using a self-assembly approach.
2. Description of the Related Art
Contact-level interlayer dielectrics and sidewall spacers are typically formed of a combination of dielectric materials (e.g., silicon dioxide (SiO2) with a dielectric constant of 3.9, silicon nitride (Si3N4) with a dielectric constant of 7.5, etc.), thereby resulting in devices that exhibit relatively high parasitic capacitances (e.g., contact-to-contact capacitance, contact-to-diffusion region capacitance, gate-to-contact capacitance, gate-to-diffusion region capacitance, etc.). Such parasitic capacitances can increase device power consumption and can impact device performance (e.g., decrease device speed). Therefore, there is a need in the art for a semiconductor structure configured to exhibit minimal parasitic capacitance and a method of forming such a semiconductor structure.